A mature spider plant will produce stems with a baby spider plant at the tip. These tiny plants are also called 'spiderettes' and can be grown on to make new plants for free.
A: For propagation purposes, you can cut or leave the babies on the spider plant and root them while still connected to the stolons. If you don't intend to multiply the plant, you should cut the spiderettes during pruning sessions.
Spider Plants can go rather limp and stop producing babies if the conditions aren't to their liking. Besides lots of light, they also prefer warm temperatures to bring on that flowering which subsequently turns into the babies.
As you can see from the photo above, spider babies are actually tiny spider plants suspended from a longer branch of the plant. You can leave the babies on the plant and they will grow while attached to the mother!
Spider plant plantlets, also known as spiderettes, babies or pups, form at the end of the long offshoots where the mother plant blooms. To ensure the spiderettes will survive on their own, leave them attached to the mother plant until they have grown at least five leaves that are about 5cm long.
For the most part, spider plants do not need pruning. To prevent your spider plant from forming its poisonous seeds, prune away any withered flowers. You can also cut off the offshoots, known as spiderettes or pups, and use them to propagate spider plants. Pluck any completely withered leaves off the plant.
While it's OK to remove and discard of your spider plant's babies (just make sure to cut as close to the base of the vine as possible), you can also use them to grow new plants.
Spider plant babies
Long, vine like stems will emerge from the centre of your plant when it is mature and happy. Spider plant babies grow at the tip of these long stems. To make new plants from spider plant babies, either snip off the spider plant baby or grow it on while it's still attached.
The long, wiry stems protruding from the inner core of the plant are called spider plant babies, plantlets and my personal favorite Spiderettes.
When well-cared for, these plants can live anywhere from 20-50 years! Ready for this? The typical lifespan of a chlorophytum comosum vittatum or chlorophytum comosum variegatum, the two most common varieties, is around 20 years.
How often should I water my spider plant? A light drink every week or so is all your spider plant needs, watering less frequently in autumn and winter. You're just looking to dampen the compost. A good way to check if it needs watering is to dip your finger into the soil, up to the second knuckle.
If you look closely at the baby spider plants dangling from your mother plant, you'll see some small, brownish knobs on the underside of the cluster of leaves.
A spider plant likes bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight as it has the potential to scorch the leaves. Spider plants will grow in low light, but they'll grow slowly and may not produce plantlets. In low light, striped spider plant leaves may lose their variegation.
The humidity is too low.
If the air around a spider plant gets too dry, its leaf tips can dry out and turn brown. Spider plants are tropical plants that need 50% to 60% humidity. You may naturally have this much humidity in your home during the summer, but in winter, indoor humidity levels tend to drop.
Move the mother to a secure enclosure if her enclosure is not already secure. If she already laid the sac in a non-secure enclosure, you can place the enclosure itself in a butterfly net. The option that many keepers use is a deli cup. To prepare it, make a small hole in the side, then cover with duct tape.
Signs of an Unhealthy Spider Plant
Wilting leaves can be the plant's cry for help, often a sign of either too much love (overwatering) or neglect (underwatering). Check the soil's moisture before reaching for the watering can. Browning leaves are like the plant's way of saying it's stressed out.
Re-pot a drooping spider plant you have had for more than a year. Consider adding some fertilizer to perk up your plant. A few minutes of touching up some cosmetic blemishes, like brown tips, make a big difference for your spider plant.
Brown Leaves
If you notice the leaves turning brown, your spider has likely been overwatered with tap water.
The stolons, also called runners or baby offsets, can be clipped and replanted. You can also divide the root ball and form new plants that way. The best time to propagate spider plants is during the spring and summer growing seasons, but this plant is such an easy grower it can be propagated throughout the year.
Pot Size and Repotting: Spider Plants produce more babies when they're in a slightly tight pot.
Fertilise Spider Plants with an indoor plant fertiliser like Scotts Osmocote Pour+Feed for Indoor Plants once a month during spring and summer, to encourage strong healthy growth.
The main reason for removing spider babies is to propagate new plants to enjoy or share. Removing the plantlets also reduces the demand for nutrition and moisture from the mother. The primary specimen uses the remaining nutrients to support its regular processes and to continue growing and reproducing.
Propagating a spider plant in soil is the easiest and quickest method. Plus, it usually produces stronger roots as they weren't sitting in water prior to being transplanted. Some plantlets may have small roots starting to develop, meaning they are more mature and will develop root systems sooner, says Langelo.